Opportunity Class Entry Guide

This guide is designed to provide parents with comprehensive information about the NSW Opportunity Class Placement Test, helping you support your child through the preparation process effectively.

In this guide:

• Test Overview
• Section Breakdown
• All About Results
• List of Opportunity Classes
• Key Dates
• Preparation Tips
• Encouragement

Test Overview

The OC Test is an important assessment for entry into New South Wales Opportunity Class. The test evaluates students' abilities across four key areas:

Section	Duration	Number of Questions	Response Type	Weighting
Reading	30 mins	25	Multiple Choice	33.3%
Mathematical Reasoning	40 mins	35	Multiple Choice	33.3%
Thinking Skills	30 mins	30	Multiple Choice	33.3%

The OC test consists of three sections, all of which contain multiple choice questions: Reading test (25 questions in 30 min), Mathematical Reasoning test (35 questions in 40 min), and Thinking Skills test (30 questions in 30 min). There is also no writing section in the OC test unlike the Selective test.

Section Breakdown

This section provides an in-depth look at each component of the NSW OC Placement Test.

1. Reading (30 minutes)

The Reading section evaluates students' ability to understand and interpret written texts. It features a variety of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and articles. Key aspects tested include:

• Comprehension: Understanding of the text's main ideas and details.
• Analysis: Ability to interpret language, style, and structure.
• Inference: Skills in drawing conclusions and understanding implicit meanings.
• Diversity: Texts reflect a range of cultural backgrounds, including Australian and Aboriginal literature.

Format and Question Types

• Narrative and descriptive extracts, possibly contrasting past and present themes.
• Poems, focusing on imagery, metaphor, and implied meanings.
• Factual texts with missing information or summary phrases to test cohesion and main idea grasp.
• Themed sets of short texts requiring quick and accurate extraction of specific information.

2. Mathematical Reasoning (40 minutes)

This section assesses the application of mathematical concepts and problem-solving skills. It is designed to test reasoning rather than mere memorization of formulas, with questions aligned with the NSW K-10 Syllabus (Years 1-3).

• Problem-Solving: Real-world and theoretical problems requiring logical solutions.
• Conceptual Understanding: Grasp of mathematical concepts and their applications.
• Numerical Operations: Basic arithmetic, geometry, and data interpretation.

3. Thinking Skills (30 minutes)

This section measures students' ability to think logically and solve problems using verbal, spatial, and numerical reasoning. It includes a range of question types that challenge students to apply their reasoning skills in new contexts.

• Logical Reasoning: Deductions from given information.
• Pattern Identification: Recognizing patterns and sequences in data.
• Problem-Solving: Multi-step problems that require a planned approach.
• Critical Analysis: Evaluating arguments and evidence.

All About Results

Results are no longer a mark. They are a ranking of your child's performance relative to other students who sat the test in the same year.

Students are placed into one of four bands for each section:

• 50% of students who sat the test - this indicates you are somewhere in the bottom 50%
• 25% of students who sat the test - this indicates you are somewhere in the top 25-50%
• 15% of students who sat the test - this indicates you are somewhere in the top 10-25%
• 10% of students who sat the test - this indicates you are somewhere in the top 10%

So what rank should we aim for?

There are approximately 2000 places available in year 5 each year and roughly 13000 students sit the exam. With this in mind, entry would be granted to students who average in the top 15% across all sections of the exam.

Because the sections of the exam are weighted uniformly, the following easy formula can roughly estimate your Average Percentile:

Where R = Reading, MR = Mathematical Reasoning, TS = Thinking Skills, W = Writing.

Assume that you are at the bottom of your band. So if you are in the "10% of students" band, assume your percentile is 90% for that section. For the "50% of students" band, assume your percentile is 25% for that section.

Here is an example calculation for Average Percentile:

This student would roughly be in the 63^rd percentile.

The calculations above are reliable for the most part, but in reality it's a little more complicated than this becuase of the Equity Placement Model.

The Equity Placement Model works by:

1. Offering 75% of places to students according to their performance in the placement test. This includes students in equity groups whose performance qualifies them for one of these places.
2. Offering the next 20% of places to students in the equity groups (who have not already gotten an offer at step 1). These students may be offered a place if their test performance is within 10% of the minimum accepted for the school from a general applicant during initial offers (or as determined by the selection committee). Any equity places that are not filled will be offered to general applicants.
3. Offering 5% of places to students who were unable to complete the placement test for a valid reason approved by the selection committee.

The percentages of held places for students in each equity group are as follows:

Equity group	% of places held
Students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds	10%
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students	5%
Rural and remote students	2.5%
Students with disability	2.5%

List of Opportunity Classes

Below are all of the Opportunity Classes in NSW. There are approximately 2000 places available in opportunity classes across NSW for entry to Year 5.

School	Locality	Places
Alexandra Park Community School	Park Rd, Alexandria	30
Alstonville Public School	Main St, Alstonville	15
Armidale City Public School	Faulkner St, Armidale	15
Artarmon Public School	McMillan Rd, Artarmon	60
Ashfield Public School	Liverpool Rd, Ashfield	30
Aurora College	Rural and remote, virtual opportunity class	100◊
Balgowlah Heights Public School	Lewis St, Balgowlah	30
Balmain Public School	Eaton St, Balmain	30
Bathurst West Public School	Suttor St, Bathurst	15
Beecroft Public School	Beecroft Rd, Beecroft	30
Biraban Public School	Beckley St, Toronto	15
Blacktown South Public School	Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown	30
Blaxcell Street Public School	Blaxcell St, Granville	30
Blaxland East Public School	Old Bathurst Road, Blaxland East	Not available in 2024
Bradbury Public School	Jacaranda Ave, Bradbury	15
Camden South Public School	Old Hume Hwy, Camden	15
Caringbah North Public School	Cawarra Rd, Caringbah	30
Casula Public School	De Meyrick Ave, Casula	15
Cessnock West Public School	Cnr Campbell Street and Wollombi Rd, Cessnock	15
Chatswood Public School	Centennial Ave, Chatswood	30
Colyton Public School	Nelson St, Mount Druitt	30
Coonabarabran Public School	Newell Hwy, Coonabarabran	15
Cudgegong Valley Public School	Madeira Rd, Mudgee	15
Dubbo West Public School	East St, Dubbo	15
Dural Public School	Old Northern Rd, Dural	30
Earlwood Public School	Homer St, Earlwood	30
Ermington Public School	Winbourne St, West Ryde	30
Georges Hall Public School	Pennington Ave, Georges Hall	15
Glenbrook Public School	Woodville St, Glenbrook	30
Goonellabah Public School	Ballina Rd, Goonellabah	15
Gosford Public School	Faunce St West, West Gosford	30
Goulburn West Public School	Combermere St, Goulburn	15
Greenacre Public School	Waterloo Rd, Greenacre	15
Greystanes Public School	Merrylands Rd, Greystanes	30
Harrington Street Public School	Harrington St, Cabramatta	15
Holsworthy Public School	Infantry Pde, Holsworthy	15
Hurstville Public School	Forest Rd, Hurstville	60
Illaroo Road Public School	Illaroo Rd, Nowra	30
Ironbark Ridge Public School	Ironbark Ridge Rd, Rouse Hill	30
Jewells Primary School	Lepton Pde, Jewells	15
Kingswood Public School	Second Ave, Kingswood	30
Leumeah Public School	Burrendong Rd, Leumeah	15
Lithgow Public School	Mort St, Lithgow	15
Maryland Public School	John T Bell Dr, Maryland, Newcastle	15
Matthew Pearce Public School	Astoria Park Rd, Baulkham Hills	30
Mona Vale Public School	Waratah St, Mona Vale	30
Moree Public School	Albert St, Moree	15
Neutral Bay Public School	Ben Boyd Rd, Neutral Bay	30
Newbridge Heights Public School	Lewin & Magree Cres, Chipping Norton	15
New Lambton South Public School	St James Rd, New Lambton	15
North Rocks Public School	North Rocks Rd, North Rocks	30
Picnic Point Public School	Thomas St, Picnic Point	15
Port Macquarie Public School	Grant St, Port Macquarie	15
Quakers Hill Public School	Medlow Dr, Quakers Hill	30
Queanbeyan South Public School	Cameron Rd, Queanbeyan	15
Richmond Public School	Windsor St, Richmond	30
Rutherford Public School	Weblands St, Rutherford	15
Ryde Public School	Pope St, Ryde	30
Smithfield Public School	O’Connell St, Smithfield	15
Soldiers Point Public School	Cromarty Rd, Soldiers Point	15
South Grafton Public School	Vere St, South Grafton	15
St Andrews Public School	Ballantrae Dr, St Andrews	15
St Johns Park Public School	Sandringham St, St Johns Park	15
Sturt Public School	White Ave, Wagga Wagga	15
Summer Hill Public School	Moonbie St, Summer Hill	30
Sutherland Public School	Eton St, Sutherland	30
Tahmoor Public School	Bronzewing St, Tahmoor	15
Tamworth Public School	Napier St, Tamworth	15
Tamworth South Public School	Petra Ave, Tamworth	15
Tighes Hill Public School	Elizabeth St, Tighes Hill	15
Toormina Public School	Cavanba Rd, Toormina	15
Waitara Public School	Edgeworth David Ave, Wahroonga	30
Wentworth Falls Public School	Falls Rd, Wentworth Falls	15
Wilkins Public School	Park Rd, Marrickville	30
Wollongong Public School	Church St, Wollongong	30
Woollahra Public School	Forth St, Woollahra	60
Wyong Public School	Cutler Dr, Wyong	30

Key Dates

Date	Activity
4 April 2024	Applications open
20 May 2024	Applications close Requests for reasonable adjustments for the test due
10 June	Last day for parents to update their contact details, or if their child has changed schools since applying, in the application dashboard
18 July 2024	Test centre and Test authority letter released Parents/carers told of any reasonable adjustments granted for the test
1 August 2024	Opportunity Class Placement Test Interstate and overseas Report of academic merit due
8 August 2024	Illness/misadventure requests due
11 August 2024	Last day to change school choices
September 2024	Selection committee meets
25 October 2024	Placement outcomes released (expected)
1 November 2024	Appeals due
Mid-November 2024	Offers are made from Reserve lists Reserve bands progress available on the website
16 December 2024	Appeals outcomes released
16 January 2025 at 3 pm	Reserve decision date (students holding accepted offers are removed from any reserve lists at 3 pm)
17 January 2025	Authority to attend letter available to parents/carers with accepted offer

Preparation Tips

• Encourage regular reading of a wide range of texts to enhance comprehension and analytical skills.
• Practice mathematical concepts through everyday situations and puzzles to strengthen reasoning abilities.
• Develop thinking skills by engaging in activities that require problem-solving and logical reasoning.
• Improve writing skills by practicing different writing forms, focusing on clear structure and expressive language.

Encouragement

Preparing for the OC Test can be a challenging yet rewarding journey for your child. Encourage them to stay positive, maintain a balanced study routine, and most importantly, to believe in their abilities. Your support and encouragement can make a significant difference in their confidence and performance.